Decorative center for package bows



P 7, 1957 B. Y. JAMES .DECOBATIVE CENTER FOR PACKAGE BOWS Filed April 12. 1954 INVENTORf 5/'// K James A TTORNE United States Patent DECORATIVE CENTER FOR PACKAGE BOWS Bill Y. James, lvl'iarni, Okla. Applieansn'Apl-ll '12-, 1954,- Serial No. 422,346 1 Claim. (01.4140

This invention relatesto "g'ift' 'wrappin' s for packages and particularl to decorative hows provided for added attractiveness, the primary object being to enhance the beauty of the bow itself regardless of the form which it may take by the provision of a decorative center therefor made and formed so as to conveniently utilize parts of the 'bow itself for holding the centerpiece in'pl'a'ce.

It is the most important objector the instant invention to provide an artificial bow more accurately simulating natural objects by including a center which bends appropriately with the remaining parts of the how, but which, by virtue of its brilliance, attracts special attention and creates an impression of authenticity, thereby effectively increasing the ornamentation of the entire package.

Another object of the instant invention is the provision in a package bow of a decorative center simulating the dome-shaped center of a natural flower or other foilage through utilization of a spherical element having means to mount the same at the exact center of the bow in substantially the same symmetrical manner as provided in nature.

A further object of the instant invention is the provision of a decorative center of the aforementioned character having means utilizing the fastener that is provided to hold the bow itself in assembled relationship and employed to mount the decoration upon the package as the means for centering and holding the said spherical element in place with respect to the bow and the package.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a gift package showing a bow mounted on the wrapping thereof and illustrating a decorative center for the bow made pursuant to one form of the instant invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical, cross-sectional view through the decorative center illustrating the manner of attaching the same to the bow.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating one of the component parts of the bow itself to clarify the manner in which the same is formed.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of decorative center; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective, exploded view showing another embodiment of the instant invention.

The art of decorating gift packages has progressed in recent years beyond the universal practice of the decorator choosing appropriate designs and forming bows and other attractive ornamentations simply by folding elongated tape material and tying the same to the package wrapping in any desired manner. The advancement includes the provision of specially formed tapes and preformed shapes and designs that may be employed by the designer so as to permit the creation of various designs without the exercise of any particular skill and more quickly than through mere use of tape material.

One form of bow construction has been chosen in the e 2,806,313 Ce atehled'sept. 17, 1957 2 a conveniently made from a plurality of strips 12, each of which is reborn upon itself to form a pair of loops I4 and 16. p

The ends of the strip 12, as well as the bight thereof, are provided with openings 18adapted to receive a suitable fastener 20 of bendable material. When a plurality of strips 12 are looped in the manner shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing and threaded upon an ordinary paper fastenet 20, the loops 14' and 16 may be arranged in the "manner illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 to form the how 10 in simulation of the :foilage of any natural growing plant, depending of course, upon the coloring that is used in the strips v12. In any event, when the strips 12 are all thus assembled upon the fastener 20, the latter may be used to mount the how 10 upon the wrapping for package 22 or upon the typing tapes 24 by use of adhesive tape, or otherwise. Fig. 2 of the drawing illus'tra tes the way in which the fastener 20 pierces the crossed tying tapes 24, whereupon legs *26 of the fastener '20 are bent laterally in opposite directions beneath the tapes 24.

Most bows for package wrappings of the nature shown in Figs. 1 and 2, are somewhat incomplete or lacking in truev simulation of natural objects intended to be copied because of the omission of a proper center. In Figs. 1 and 2 there is illustrated a decorative center 28 that is preferably spherical to present a dome-shaped configuration when the center 28 is properly positioned within the bow 10 and attached thereto.

The spherical center 28 may be hollow as illustrated and made from any suitable material such as glass or plastic so that when the same is properly decorated so as to provide suitable brilliance, the entire package bow is made more attractive.

The centerpiece 28 is advantageously held in place by using the fastener 20 which is employed to assemble the strips 12 of bow 10 and to attach the latter to the package 22. Center 28 is provided with a stem 30 upon which is mounted a cap 32 that may be of metal if desired and which is perforated as indicated in Fig. 2 to receive the fastener 20. Thus, before the cap 32 is mounted on the stem 30, the fastener 20 is threaded therethrough thereby confining the head 34 of fastener 20 within the stem 30 when the cap 32 is mounted thereon.

When the bow 10 is assembled therefore, the fastener 20 is first threaded through the openings 18 of the various strips 12 and, if the finished how 10 is to be attached to the tapes 24, the fastener 20 may thereupon pierce the tapes 24 at their point of crossing prior to bending the legs 26 laterally as shown in Fig. 2.

One way in which the principles of the instant invention may be extended is illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawing. Hollow, spherical center 128 is adapted for mounting in the same manner as the center 28 through use of a cap 132 for receiving fastener 20. Center 128 differs from center 28 however, in that it is provided with an opening 129 in the top thereof. Center 128 thereby becomes a container for any article that is desired to be placed therein such as a greeting or signature card, or more appropriately, the stems of artificial flowers and foilage which will add still further to the attractiveness of the entire package 22.

In Fig. 5 of the drawing a spherical center 228 is imperforate throughout and has a head 232 affixed thereto in any suitable manner such as by use of a proper cement. Head 232 has a slot therein that includes a radial length 233 adapted to receive the legs 26 of fastener 20, a peripheral length 235 formed to receive the head 34 of fastener 20 and a cross-length 231 for receiving legs 26 when fastener 20 is turned, whereby to lock the same in place.

Through employment of the modification shown in Fig.

" 2,806,313 s I I 5 of the drawing, it is possible to make up the bow 10 in its entirety and even attach it to the package 22 prior to insertion of the center 228 since the head 232 may be easily slipped in place in engagement with the fastener 20. .t I I v I I Many variations in the centerpieces for packageibows of the nature shown in the drawing may be made within the spirit of the instant invention and it'is, therefore,tdesired to be limited only by the'scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention'what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

A floral ornament adapted to embellish the gift wrapping of a package when attached to the tying tape thereof comprising in combination, a plurality of elongated strips, each rebent on itself with the ends of each strip superimposed at the center thereof to present a pair of opposed loops, said strips being arrangedtogether in a composite collection of successive layers with the loops thereof radiating from substantially the exact center of the ornament in all directions, simulating in appearance the attractive freshness of the whorls of the floral leaves of a newly gathered, fully open blossom; a single spherical element at said center of the ornament for simulating in a conspicuous manner the corona of a natural blossom, said element having a base superimposed over said ends and centers of the strips; and a fastener having a head mounted in said base, and a pair of legs depending from the head and extending through the centers and ends of the strips, said legs being adapted to pierce said tying tape and be bent laterally in opposite directions to gather and clamp said centers and ends tightly together whereby to present a central flower cup receiving said element and to cause the loops to flare outwardly and upwardly in surrounding relationship to the element, exposing only the dome-shaped uppermost surface of the latter in the manner in which the corona of a blossom is nested within the floral leaves thereof, in substantially the same symmetrical pattern as found in nature.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 11,330 Fishel May 2, 1893 500,195 Fishel June 27, 1893 1,587,294 Gallagher June 1, 1926 1,970,265 Zeirnet Aug. 14, 1934 2,477,046 Davenport July 26, 1949 2,563,678 Gates Aug. 7, 1951 2,681,525 James June 22, 1954 OTHER REFERENCES How to Gift Wrap; Published by Dennison Mfg. Co.,

Framingham, Mass. Page 12, Figure 1, 2; page 13, Figure 4; inside of title page. 

